Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I read online about these but don't see many posts about them so I wanted to hear from anyone that uses these...They are high in calcium, seem okay in protein and are allot lower in fat than say waxworms..Also if you have any links to breeders that are reputable I'd like to hear from ya...

-Keith
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kill 'em with kindness

Dachiu.com get my highest recommendation.

Well after reading PHLdyPayne's comment i didn't know that they farmed them that way. Do you know if Dachiu's spikes are like this? Actually I thought they told me they order from someone. Maybe I'll have to find out from them. Have you bought them from them and if so have you asked them these questions?
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kill 'em with kindness

Thought you meant Dragon Breeders. Sorry.

Only fly larvae I know of right now that is good for reptiles are the larvae as black solder flies. These currently are marketed as phoenix worms and calciworms by two different companies. Maggots are also available (fly larvae too, actually I think all fly larvae go under the term 'maggots' but typical maggots I believe, are from blow flies or blue/green bottle flies..but I could be wrong here, been awhile since I saw a show about the wonders of fly maggots in determining time of death in forensic sciences (old CSI episode maybe?)

Maggots farmed from carcasses or other forms of rotting meat, I don't recommend giving to pets, not so much because of them not being healthy but because of what can be caught from the maggots themselves (ie worms, salmonella etc). Maggots raised in other compounds may not be so bad, such as vegetable compost or controlled farmed conditions.
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PHLdyPayne

I did a bit of research and discovered 'spikes' are cosmopolitian blue bottle fly larvae ie: maggots. I suspect they changed the name to make it more appealing to buy. Used for fish bait mostly but reptiles will eat them. I don't think there is any harm in feeding these to dragons.

The link I found info about them is here:

http://www.wallyslivebait.com/spikes[1].htm
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PHLdyPayne

Yea I've come across quite a few sites and the name is different on each. The reason I did research into them is cuz Vicki @ Dachiu said she fed them but I never heard of them. They are actually quite nutritious but not quite as high in protein but they are almost comparable to crix and high in calcium but not high in fat like waxworms. They are farely cheap too but I'm having a hard time finding any though. I'll have to keep in mind what you (PHLdyPayne) said about how they are raised cuz I don't want a feeder that was fed a dead carcass or anything. If you find any places that sells these to NE OHIO let me know!
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kill 'em with kindness

Bait stores may sell them. SO far the few places i found info about them (such as the wormman site I posted earlier) use farmed worms. I suspect they won't be fed on dead animals and stuff. Apparently that can poise a health risk (saw some articles about it) so I suspect farmers who produce these worms use some sort of clean disease free area. Probably bred and fed in compost type setups. I haven't found info about how to breed them so not sure what they use.

Emailing suppliers about them should give you more information about how the spikes are raised/bread. May take some hunting but it can be done.

I suggest checking with your local bait shops, especially if you are near any popular fishing areas. I believe these are used for pan fish, maybe trout as well. If you live in an area with good spots to get pan fish or trout such as rainbow, the bait shops may have these too. I recommend not getting the colored ones. Not sure what they use to die the maggots different colors, (white is natural) so don't know if they are potentially harmful to dragons or other reptiles. IF a natural food die, then it should be fine.
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PHLdyPayne

Okay we'll see what information comes up. Do you ever have contact with the Dachiu's cuz they are the one who tipped me on these. So I'm sure they'll know. Vicki is supposed to call me tomorrow to give me tracking numbers of my baby so maybe I'll ask her. Luckily from me I do live in a area in NE OHIO where fishing is very popular..We have Lake Erie and Pymatuning Lake on the border of the OHIO and PA lines so yea maybe I can turn something up. I'll have to give my Uncle a call about it.
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kill 'em with kindness

I haven't had any dealings with Dachiu at all, but have heard enough good things about them that if I was in the area, I would buy from them. I am up in Canada, so I won't have live animals shipped to me up here, just too much in box time for me to feel comfortable. I don't even know if they will ship up to Canada. Maybe if I make it down to Daytona some year I will buy something from them and bring it back with me (if allowed etc). Unless they come up to a Toronto show LOL

I don't think I will use the spikes myself....maggots disgust me LOL but then again I am ok with the phoenix worms, which really are just smaller versions of maggots...heck, I would be fine with maggots, as long as I know to expect them.
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PHLdyPayne

I thought there was allot of fishing that went on up there in Canada? Figured these would be in good supply. Maggots don't bother me...it's actually the crickets I don't like. Oh man and now I'm thinking about starting that roach colony..EWEE...I've always had that "YOUR DIRTY IF YOUR HOUSE HAS COCKROACHES" mentality so I'm still a lil freaked out by the thought of having roaches here...
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kill 'em with kindness

LdyPayne the Dachiu's sell through a breeder in that big state up north called Canada. lol. They also will ship overnight direct in my understanding. I know they go to some show in Ontario but can't remember the name or place. You can contact them for more info.

Yea I will be talking to Vicki tomorrow in regards to the tracking number for my dragon so I'm gonna find out..Actually I think she gave it to me, but I can't remember who it was...Maybe REPTILIAN DELIGHTS or something like that...
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kill 'em with kindness

Again I was referring to dragons. lol. I know the Dachiu's don't do anything with feeders except for themselves.